Ties that bind
by Makemegray
Summary: After the second Kouma Sensou two old friends meet for a chat, some nonalchoholic tea and some interesting revelations. Shoujouai and Language warning.
1. Chapter 1

**_Ties that bind_**

Luna sighed nervously as she reached the entrance to the Juu-ou's keep on Wolf Pack Island.

It had been at least twenty years since she'd stepped foot on the threshold and was rather reluctant to do so now.

Deciding that she wasn't up to the complications that the fatal step could bring she turned around and began to walk away from the door.

She stopped seconds later as the door behind her opened.

"Luna?" The violet-haired waitress closed her eyes to the familiar flip that her stomach performed at the easy, loving way in which her name had been pronounced.

Turning around, her breath caught in her throat as she beheld the woman in the doorway, face filled with fear and uncertainty.

The long golden hair that had at one time spilled around the woman's form to almost sweep the ground had been shortened so that it barley touched her shoulders.

The bright amber eyes that had once shone with defiance, pride and regality were now dulled with the pain and the loss of the war they were both involved in.

"Zel…" The blond smiled another feature that had lost its former glow.

"Are you going to come in or are you going to run away with some utterly human excuse about having left the oven on?"

Luna returned the smile and stepped to the door, the mazoku lord stepping aside so Luna could get in.

"You've been redecorating." Luna noticed with an amount of fascination.

Zelas yawned and led the way to the parlor with as much haughty dignity as she could muster.

"Of course I've redecorated. You didn't think everything would be the same as before did you?" Luna fell behind Zelas a bit, noting the distinct absence of the implements of torture that had once adorned every wall of the keep.

Photographs now stood in their place.

"I thought you detested human technology."

Zelas stopped.

"I've…never had a reason to use it before." Luna tilted her head to the side, curious at the unexpected break in the beast masters voice and Zelas walked on "They're people that I've lost."

"People that you've…"Luna's eyes alighted on the picture of a certain trickster priest, one that had always been more of a son than a subordinate to Zelas.

Luna felt her chest tighten when she realized that she had been the one to bring up the subject.

"I'm so sorry, Zel."

Zelas shook her head as she sat down on the couch in the parlor.

"Don't be. Both sides have suffered tremendous losses in this stupid little war of ours." She snapped her fingers and a bronze tea set appeared on the coffee table in front of the couch. "I'm sorry I wasn't able to make it to your sister funeral." Zelas added as an afterthought as she poured tea and Luna sat down in the chair at the other end of the table. "It didn't seem like it would boost the moral of your comrades to have someone from the other side show up as they mourned the loss of one of their greatest warriors. Imagine the scandal!"

Luna frowned, ignoring her tea.

"You know I don't care about that stuff. Neither did Lina. She would've hated all the hypocritical shit those dragons were spewing. You would have been the cynical relief to some emotion other than sheer boredom!"

Zelas considered the words while taking a sip of her tea

"How very poetic of you."

Luna sighed and finally picked up her tea, comforted somewhat by the fact that this was Zelas Metallium she was taking tea with and that the beast master couldn't possibly ingest any liquid without it having some form of booze in it.

She was shocked to find that she was drinking virgin tea.

"Which also brings me to ask why _you're _here?"

The Ceipheid Knight grimaced both at the question and at the tea.

"I just missed you is all. Is that so wrong?" Zelas narrowed her eyes, obviously not buying it.

Luna set her tea down and pushed her hands through her hair.

"Valwin is planning a final assault on the Desert of Destruction. He plans to use ancient dragon's magic to bring the remaining mazoku lords down and then destroy Ruby-eye."

Zelas contemplated this latest bit of information with a placid expression, not moving except to bring her cup to her lips and sip her tea,

After what seemed like an eternity, Zelas set her cup down and fixed Luna with a shrewd stare.

"If Valwin is planning a final assault then why are you here warning me? Even if it is the honorable thing to do, couldn't this have been left to an underling and a short note? You're the shinzoku's pride and joy after all."

"Don't call me that!" Luna snarled, much to the amusement of the beast master.

"Well why ever not? As I recall, you've always had an irritating habit of glowing with pride every time someone mentioned your status."

"They've lost their shit, Zel. They're murdering people left and right! They murdered Filia!"

Zelas's eyes narrowed even more.

"…What?"

"She was charged with treason after Xellos died; they struck her down without as much as a proper trial!"

Zelas took this latest information with a look that usually promised the receiver a very long and very painful death.

"So that's where they're getting the ancient magic from. They have Val and Shiara." Zelas relaxed and laid back on the couch. "What did the Dragons offer them?"

"Huh?"

"Dragon's are notoriously selfish creatures. Even half-dragons. Valteria and Shiara are no exception. So what I'm asking is what they are gaining for betraying the Mazoku."

"They aren't gaining anything. They have them chained up the dungeons

"Ah, well that makes a bit more sense. I didn't think Val would be stupid enough to fight for the side that exterminated his entire race. I didn't think they would be able to capture Shiara though. I thought she was safe with Dynast."

"They used Valteria to lure her out.

"How sneaky underhanded and low…I like it!"

Don't kid, Zel."

"I'm not. I was truly giving them credit for a job well done. A job worthy of the mazoku in fact. Ara should be honored to have fallen for it."

"Zel…"

"Okay, now back to the real question which you still haven't answered: Why are you here? I appreciate the warning but you needn't have bothered. It's too late now. The mazoku have lost this war, they lost it ten years ago when the Maryu-ou Xellos Metallium was destroyed. Don't you pay attention to current events?"

"I'm here because I want to help you!" Zelas blinked

"Help me? Help me with what? Are you trying to save my soul or something? Hate to break it to you dearie but that won't work seeing as I don't have one, remember?"

"That's not what I meant, Zel I-"

"That's not what you meant? You mean you don't want to save me? I thought it was the duty of any self-respecting follower of Ceipheid. To save the souls of the wicked and give them eternal salvation from the torture of the underworld."

"I'm saying I want to fight with you! Fight beside you!" Zelas's expression was utterly bewildered for the fist time in Luna's memory

"Fight with me? Why?"

"My sister is dead, Zel and it wasn't the mazoku who killed her."

"Yeah, so? My entire family is either dead or imprisoned and the mazoku didn't to that either, but it doesn't mean I suddenly want to switch sides after who knows how long of working for one. Speaking of which, how old _are_ you? I don't believe you've ever told me."

"Don't change the subject! They've gone berserk! Filia was just one of the many to be punished so severely. It's gotten so that even saying the word Mazoku will get you beaten and suspected of sabotage for the last failed raid!"

"Well, is saying it gets you beaten then I guess Filia was justly punished for marrying and procreating with one.

"Stop taking this so lightly!"

"I'm not taking it lightly!" Zelas yelled, raising her voice for the first time that afternoon. " You come in here and tell me that those pompous overgrown lizards murdered Xellos's wife and jailed his children and then say you want to 'fight with me' and you think I can take any of those things lightly! For L-sama's sake Luna, what the hell do you think you're playing at!"

"What?" Zelas tugged at the roots of her hair in frustration as she stood up and began to pace the room.

"You can't do this to me, Luna! You can't come here after all this time as enemies and suddenly want to be friends again! It doesn't work like that! You can't change your mind like that!"

Luna, stared, slightly shocked that Zelas was having such violent mood swings but remembering the virgin tea they'd both consumed

"Zel…" She stood up and walked tentatively over to the agitated mazoku but receiving a warning growl for the attempt.

"Stay away from me!"

"But I don't get why you're acting like this. I just-" Zelas sighed.

"Luna the mazoku have lost. I'm going to die and I don't need any attachments haunting me as I try not to be scared shitless."

"Attachments? But your family-"

"Luna, you were a part of that family once. I loved you once and you turned your back on me at the first sign of conflict. To have you back in that position, to have standing beside me again is too much and I don't want it!"

"I loved you too, Zelas but-"

"No I don't think you quite understand. 20 years ago I was _in _love with you. I've always been in love with you and I never stopped being in love with you"

"I know that, Zel." Zelas stopped pacing to fix Luna with a wide-eyed stare.

"You knew? Then why-"

"Why didn't I say anything? How could I? When I figured it out Valwin was already talking about raiding the northern base. There was no way I could have said anything when I was already planning to disassociate myself with you."

"That's nicethat you'd rather have me felt betrayed than telling me the truth. That you were sticking to your job description for the first time in the 100+ years I've known you and doing the _right _thing ,siding with the good guys."

"I didn't do it to hurt you Zelas! I had to! I'm the Ceiphied Knight! That means that I have to fight against the mazoku no matter relationship I may have once had with one."

"If that's the case then what's changed? Your sister's death wouldn't have mattered that much to Ceiphied; he still would have told you to fight with the dragons unless you had some really good and logical reason for switching sides."

"I told you. They've-"

"Yeah, I know gone berserk. The Dragons have always been nuts so that's no surprise. There's still something you aren't telling me, Luna and I'm not going to accept any of your bullshit stalling. I want a straight fuckin' answer." Zelas folded her arms and set a posture of defiance before her former friend.

Luna sighed again for what must have been the twentieth time that afternoon in her estimation.

"If you really want to know, Zel then you have to promise that you won't hit me afterwards." Zelas frowned at the odd statement.

"Why would I hit you, Luna?"

"Just promise me, Zelas!" The Beast King rolled her eyes.

"Fine I promise but you're being really-"

Her sentence was abruptly cut off by Luna's lips against her own.

After what seemed like an eternity, Luna pulled away and opened her eyes to stare into golden ones that were filled with a mixture of intense pain and extreme anger.

The anger seemed to overcome the pain momentarily as the palm of Zelas's hand impacted with Luna's cheek and sent her flat on the ground.

"What the hell! You said you wouldn't hit me!"

"Mazoku lie. Didn't anyone ever tell you that?"

"Zelas-"

"Don't …Just don't…"Zelas was the one to sigh this time as she put a hand on her hip and massaged her eyes with the other. "It's probably best if you leave now."

"Zelas I'm not going to give up on this." Luna replied from her seated position on the floor.

"Don't make me hurt you again, Luna. Just leave and don't come back."

Realizing that the threat was nothing to take lightly, Luna left the parlor and the Keep, but didn't make it past the shore of the island before she broke down into sobs that were echoed by the island's mistress alone in her parlor.

* * *

Author's notes: Well this is my first published Slayers story. Yay! It took about two years to get all of it out of my head but here it is. It was intended to be a one shot but I can't just leave them like that so there'll be at least one more story following this one. I'm also thinking of writing a story that explains more in depth about the second Kouma Sensou but I don't know if I'll get around to it. 

Anyway Ja ne and please Review!


	2. Chapter 2

Ties that bind. Part two

"Here, honey. This one is on the house. You look like you could use it."

"…Thanks."

"You wanna tell me what happened? You know people are always tellin' me their problems. Must be something about bartenders that just make people want to spill their-"

"Thanks but no. I'd really like to just get alcohol poisoning by myself, if you don't mind."

"Sure, honey." The man behind the bar smiled indulgently and handed her a washcloth filled with ice. "For that eye of yours. You're working on a real nasty shiner there. He do that to you?"

"He? He who?"

"Your husband. Or your boyfriend. Doesn't really matter but usually the only time I see girls come into a place like this its to take their minds off the bastard who wasn't treatin' 'em right. That the case with you?"

"Not really…I kind of deserved it. I was in the wrong."

"Listen here honey, there ain't no wrong a woman can do to a man to warrant a beatin' like the one he obviously gave you. Take as much time as you need and call me if you need anything more." Luna blinked in bewilderment as the bartender walked down to the other side of the bar.

He couldn't have been more wrong about her situation. It would have sent her into hysterics years ago with the irony of the situation but she'd been understandably a little less than enthused about life in general.

She realized that she had made a mistake in going to Zelas in the first place but it was unfinished business that she couldn't bring herself to leave hanging in the air, especially when their was a good chance that the Beastmaster only had days left to live.

When the first Maryuu-ou and first Mei-ou had been destroyed about 30 years ago, the mazoku forces had been considerably weakened. In a rush to replace the two fallen Dark Lords, they'd promoted the fourth and fifth most powerful beings in their race. The General/Priest of the Juu-ou, Xellos Metallium, and the general of the Ha-ou, Sherra, respectively to the posts of Demon-Dragon king ( Re-titled the Maokami-ou because of his and his creator's wolf-like characteristics) and Underworld king.

The Ryuzoku, upon realizing the opportunity they'd been given decided that the best opportunity for launching an attack on the mazoku would be while the new lords were still settling into their positions.

They were right as it turned out. Valbazard, the fire-dragon lord, managed to kill Sherra with little to no difficulty at all.

The mazoku never recovered from their loss of yet another Mei-ou and even when the mazoku had managed to awaken another piece of the Ruby-eyed lord, they were still at a terrible disadvantage given the Ceipheid Knight's involvement in the war.

About ten years into the war, when most if not all of the lower mazoku had been destroyed in the fighting and the Dark Lords couldn't afford to spend any more energy on creating more, the Ryuzoku decided to come after the Lords again.

All four Ryuu-ou had decended upon the Maokami-ou and had utterly obliterated him. His children, an adopted ancient dragon and an ancient by way of mating with a golden dragon, were both imprisoned and his wife was murdered.

Not even the chosen human's of L-sama who were to fight in the war survived.

When they questioned the Ryuzoku leaders they had been struck down without a second thought.

The Queen of Saillune and her Husband, The Swordsman of Light, The Princess of Sairaag…

And the Dra-matta herself, The younger sister of the Ceipheid Knight.

Luna had never been able to forgive herself for not protecting her sister and her friends more.

For being naive enough to think that the Dragons would take into consideration all they had done for the war effort.

Two of them had even been priestesses of Ceipheid for crying out loud!

As for the god himself, he didn't exactly approve of the Dragons methods but he felt that if the end justified the means then everything was hunky dory.

For the first time in her life Luna hated Ceipheid.

Hated his politics, hated his inaction, his indifference, his indulgence toward the terrorism that the dragons spread across the land.

Most of all though, she hated his voice.

His voice in her ear telling her what to do, how to act, how to speak, who to kill, who to hate, who to love, who to forgive and who to forget.

He told her to hate Zelas, to forget her, to kill her.

It was at that point, when she'd been ordered to destroy the love of her life that Luna had stopped listening to Ceipheid.

She'd paid for it of course.

She was considerably less powerful than she'd been when she was following his will, she now had only about the power of the weaker Dark Lords whereas she had been as powerful as the Ruby-eye lord himself.

It was a blow to her pride of course but sticking to her morals and beliefs had meant more to her than power.

More than power, more than respect, more than control, she had saved the one she loved and had saved her soul from eternal damnation by realizing that what Ceipheid said didn't always matter and wasn't always right.

_Tough it really doesn't matter now,_ Luna thought bitterly, _Zelas probably hates me now. Can't say I blame her but still…It would have been nice to-_

Her introspection was cut off as the doors to the pub were knocked in.

_Great, what now? Whatever it is I sure as hell am _not _going to be bothered with it_

"Listen up you miserable mortals!"

_Perfect, mazoku_

"We're looking for the Knight of Ceipheid! We got a report that the wench was in this area!"

_Fuck! Shit! Damn it all to bloody hell!_

"So if she's here of anyone knows where she is then they'd better speak up right now or every last human in here is gonna get their respective genitals shoved down their throats and pulled out their asses!"

"Is that even possible?" Someone whispered and the mazoku, the one out of the three present who had been shouting, whipped its head around to the woman, a waitress.

"You want me to test it out on you? I'd surly be glad to make an example of such a fine and fertile piece of meat."

Luna sighed and downed the rest of her pint of ale before standing.

"I'm the Ceipheid Knight. You can leave her alone." The lead mazoku squinted its eyes at her, looking at her aura with astral sight to see if she was telling the truth.

Once it believed her it (He? She? Luna couldn't tell) smirked and shooed its fellows out the door.

"Well so you are. If you'd be so kind Miss Inverse as to step outside then we won't have to dismember any of these fine sheep in the ensuing battle."

Luna sighed again (she'd been doing that quite a lot lately.)

"Fine, but lets make this quick alright? I'd really like to get back to my sulking if that's okay with you."

"Sure, although I don't know if you'll have enough time to sulk in hell."

Luna rolled her eyes at the dig, which she couldn't pinpoint as cattiness or male posturing as she followed the mazoku out of the pub.

* * *

"Zelas-sama, the reports you wanted to see." Zelas looked to her left to see her secretary, Scheska, hand her an envelope. 

She was without a doubt the only Dark Lord to employ a secretary on account of Scheska's duties usually being held by a general or priest.

Since her general and priest had been one in the same being, she'd never gotten around to replacing him when he had become a Lord himself and to have done it after he died would have hurt too much in Zelas's mind.

She hired Scheska, a half-wolf, half-mazoku mix who happened to be good filing and made a kick-ass Pomegranate Martini, to fill in the duties in a way that wouldn't directly replace Xellos and would take care of administrative type things that Zelas couldn't possibly handle herself.

It was still painful to have Scheska be the one handing her various documents knowing who had previously done it but Zelas tried to shut herself off her feelings as much as possible these days.

For the third time in her life, Zelas cursed her half-wolf genes for allowing her to feel anything but apathy toward another being (the first time being when she fell in love with Luna and the second being when Luna left her).

Speaking of the Ceipheid knight…

"Seki went after the Knight!"

"Yes, Zelas-sama. He saw her on the island earlier and took her visit to mean that he was attempting to attack you and lost. I tried to dissuade him from going after her but my efforts were in vain."

Zelas raised and eyebrow as she was reminded that Scheska was no Xellos with that formal manner of speaking.

"Where are they?"

"In Rizenbul, Zelas-sama."

"Rizenbul? Where the temple is?"

"Yes Zelas-sama."

"Fuck! He's really trying to kill her isn't he!"

"I believe so Zelas-sama."

"Ohhh, he's gonna pay for touching what's mine." Zelas growled as she stormed out of her throne room and headed for the town in which Luna's fight with the mazoku was just getting underway…

* * *

Author's notes: I stole some things from FMA, gomen nasai! They seemed to fit! 


End file.
